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Newly diagnosed

J

jilly2

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hiya, was diagnosed type 2 about 3 weeks back and been taking metformin 509mg twice a day. BG readings are are still high, 12+ before breakfast and not really coming down at all. I'm concerned it these means ill need to go on injections - worried
 
Hi @jilly2 welcome to the forum. As @Resurgam has said an indication of what you are eating will be a great help. Do you need to loose weight? What was your HbA1c reading? Please only answer what you are comfortable with. I will tag @daisy1 to send you the welcome info. You are in the right place for help, advice and support so if you have any other questions just ask. Remember we have all been where you are now. Good luck. :)
 
jilly2 said:
Hiya, was diagnosed type 2 about 3 weeks back and been taking metformin 509mg twice a day. BG readings are are still high, 12+ before breakfast and not really coming down at all. I'm concerned it these means ill need to go on injections - worried
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I can understand your concern about maybe needing injections in the future but it is worth trying to get your BGs down at the moment. I'll tag in @daisy1 who has some info for newly diagnosed people that she can post here for you to read.

Metformin does help a bit, however the main way people work on their BGs at this stage is to reduce the carbs you're eating and look at increasing your exercise levels if you can.

A fasting BG of 12 is fairly high and suggests you may have had high BGs for quite a while. Have you been told about the need to have your eyes tested? People with diabetes are advised to have regular eye tests to make sure there isn't damage being done by high BGs.

I know it's easy to say but try not to worry, because you've come to the right place for information and support, and now that you've been diagnosed you can start to put things right and prevent the problems caused by high BGs. Please feel free to ask any question you like and we will do our best to answer or suggest where you can find answers.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum.

Diet plays a huge part in good management of Diabetes. Whether someone is on Metformin or one of the other Diabetes drugs or on insulin injections diet is key. By lowering the carbohydrate level in your diet you will see lower readings, this is because carbohydrates (and that includes sugar) are turned into glucose once eaten. It is this glucose and its levels that you are testing with your glucometer.
 
jilly2 said:
Hiya, was diagnosed type 2 about 3 weeks back and been taking metformin 509mg twice a day. BG readings are are still high, 12+ before breakfast and not really coming down at all. I'm concerned it these means ill need to go on injections - worried
Click to expand...

Hi Jilly, and welcome to the club.

Please do not be concerned about insulin injections. There is a lot you can do to help yourself, and many other drugs to try before insulin. Diet is the key to controlling this disease, and we can help you with this. It may mean completely changing the way you eat, but to a good healthy diet that most of us really enjoy.

@Jenny15 mentioned getting your eyes tested. Please do not worry about this. You will be referred for annual retinal eye screening by your GP/nurse. This is a special test that is nothing to do with eye sight. They take a photo of the back of your eyes. You will have one of these screenings tests every year. You don't need to do anything.

Please have a good read round the forums, especially Daisy's post when she arrives, and ask as many questions as you like.
 
jilly2 said:
Hiya, was diagnosed type 2 about 3 weeks back and been taking metformin 509mg twice a day. BG readings are are still high, 12+ before breakfast and not really coming down at all. I'm concerned it these means ill need to go on injections - worried
Click to expand...
Jilly2, the main thing is that you have been diagnosed as T2. Far too many people are diabetic and they don't know it. You also sound like someone who wants to do something about it. Far too many people don't change their lifestyles and they suffer the consequences. Many, many people on this forum, myself included have turned their lives around by exercising more and cutting out carbs. Even if you just reduce or cut out bread, pasta, rice and potatoes you should see a marked drop in your BG levels. Be positive and take action. You will get results. :)
 
Bluetit1802 said:
@Jenny15 mentioned getting your eyes tested. Please do not worry about this. You will be referred for annual retinal eye screening by your GP/nurse. This is a special test that is nothing to do with eye sight. They take a photo of the back of your eyes. You will have one of these screenings tests every year. You don't need to do anything.
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As far as I know, newly diagnosed people are referred for this screening early on, so I was just checking to see if they had mentioned this to Jilly. I wasn't trying to give her extra things to worry about. Sorry if it came across that way. What if there's an administrative error and this doesn't happen for another year, if ever? I am looking to find out if she has been given the info she needs. I did include a lot of support in my post too.
 
Dexterdobe said:
Jilly2, the main thing is that you have been diagnosed as T2. Far too many people are diabetic and they don't know it. You also sound like someone who wants to do something about it. Far too many people don't change their lifestyles and they suffer the consequences. Many, many people on this forum, myself included have turned their lives around by exercising more and cutting out carbs. Even if you just reduce or cut out bread, pasta, rice and potatoes you should see a marked drop in your BG levels. Be positive and take action. You will get results. :)
Click to expand...
Hi everyone and thank you so much for the welcome and replies. I am making changes to my diet, cutting down on carbs which is my downfall and struggling for alternatives, not bothered about sweet things. I need to lose weight and have started walking more and plan to go to yoga next week.

I do get stressed and my job can be stressful to which doesn't help but I really want to help myself and be healthy.
Thank you IMG_20180601_221017.jpg
 
Jenny15 said:
As far as I know, newly diagnosed people are referred for this screening early on, so I was just checking to see if they had mentioned this to Jilly. I wasn't trying to give her extra things to worry about. Sorry if it came across that way. What if there's an administrative error and this doesn't happen for another year, if ever? I am looking to find out if she has been given the info she needs. I did include a lot of support in my post too.
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I'm sorry if I came across as criticising you. It wasn't my intention at all, and I agree that you were being very supportive. :) I was simply trying to point out the difference between an eye test, and retinal screening. To us in the UK an eye test means a sight test to see if you need glasses. Once a person is diagnosed with diabetes they go on a register. It is all coded and computerised. The diabetes code automatically triggers an alert to the retinal screening service. There is then a wait, sometimes a long one. The guidelines are that it should be within the first 3 months, but in some areas the screening service is a mobile one and not there all the time. Again, my apologies. :)
 
Bluetit1802 said:
I'm sorry if I came across as criticising you. It wasn't my intention at all, and I agree that you were being very supportive. :) I was simply trying to point out the difference between an eye test, and retinal screening. To us in the UK an eye test means a sight test to see if you need glasses. Once a person is diagnosed with diabetes they go on a register. It is all coded and computerised. The diabetes code automatically triggers an alert to the retinal screening service. There is then a wait, sometimes a long one. The guidelines are that it should be within the first 3 months, but in some areas the screening service is a mobile one and not there all the time. Again, my apologies. :)
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Thank you for clarifying, it makes perfect sense now. I am working on phrasing things in a way that works better across different countries. It's good that we could talk about it and clear it up.:)

I find it's always hard to get the balance right between reassuring someone they don't need to worry about a diabetes-related issue for now vs pointing out the little things that need to happen in a reasonable time frame to be sure of safe care. I am a worrywort, I admit. I know it's not good for me to spread that around, LOL.

The retinal screening system in the UK sounds very reliable, better than the one in NZ.

I think looking across diabetic care in the UK, US, Canada, AU and NZ, I think each country does some things well and some things not so well. And of course there is variation within a country and within a medical practice.

What I'm working on understanding and writing down is a brief set of basic minimum tests/checks a T2 diabetic should have, and the sort of time frames needed, that will work across all countries. I have found that since I read this info in the NZ guidelines, I feel more confident that I won't miss my own major deterioration again.

The NZ guidelines are in plain English and fairly easy to understand and navigate. I haven't found that with the UK NICE guidelines so far, but they seem to be broadly similar on the important things.

https://www.health.govt.nz/publication/new-zealand-primary-care-handbook-2012

Thanks again for your help clearing things up. I really enjoy reading your posts and am learning a lot. :headphone:
 
@jilly2

Hello Jilly and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful and interesting. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will come along and help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
jilly2 said:
Hi everyone and thank you so much for the welcome and replies. I am making changes to my diet, cutting down on carbs which is my downfall and struggling for alternatives, not bothered about sweet things. I need to lose weight and have started walking more and plan to go to yoga next week.

I do get stressed and my job can be stressful to which doesn't help but I really want to help myself and be healthy.
Thank you View attachment 26814
Click to expand...
Hi @jilly2 Have a look at the Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) thread on the forum that will help you with bringing your Bg and weight down. There is also a thread called "What have you eaten today" again may help with different foods you can do. I started LCHF beginning of last month. I do 18/6 fasting no food after 20.00 till 14.00 next day. Only having black tea, coffee, water and vitamin water as required. I also have less than 15 - 20% carbs. First month I lost 8.4 kg and fetched my Bg down from 16.6 to around 7.0. It is a big change but its amazing what you can eat on the LCHF and get results! :)
 
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